About us - TrustChain

About Trustchain

The digital era and existence of the internet is revolutionizing our health, our wellbeing, our social life, our education, our information. Spirit of the first-generation Internet based on individual freedom and material progress. Nowadays, essential ethical and democratic principles that should underline this technology are at stake. The design choices of the past based on a mix of centralized networked and device-based technologies, makes today’s Internet obsolete when it comes to empowering all citizens to act in/for the green and digital transitions, as well as to create a more resilient, inclusive and democratic society, addressing inequalities and human rights, prepared and responsive to threats and disasters.

Under the European Commission Next Generation Internet initiative, TrustChain is launched in January 2023. TrustChain aims to create a portfolio of Next Generation Internet protocols and an ecosystem of decentralized software solutions that reach the highest standards of humanity such as those chartered by the United Nations including the respect of human rights, ethics, sustainability, energy efficiency, our care for the environment and our respect for the World’s cultural history. TrustChain will tackle several challenges pertaining to trustworthy and reliable digital identity, to resilient, secure and reliable data pathways, to economics and trading of data, to energy efficiency for data storage, transport and sharing, to seamless services and data flows. A new trustworthy data governance and sharing model will be developed in line with the European regulatory framework and taking into account European values while ensuring Trusted Data Ecosystems.

Through its five Open Calls, TrustChain will support top Internet innovators (academies and high-tech companies) with a total amount of 8,8 M€ distributed with focus on topics of the (1) Decentralized digital identity, (2) the User privacy and data governance, (3) Economics and democracy, and (4) Multi chains support for NGI protocols, and (5) Green scalable and sustainable DLTs.

Overall the purpose of the 5 open calls is to:

Attract and engage as much Blockchain & DLTs technology researchers, startups and SMEs;
Leverage the development of new research fields and innovative products/ service applications;
Build upon existing tools;
Implement and feedback on Project new business models;
Boost the innovative research topics, experiments and applications, broadening the portfolio of the TrustChain offers;
Increase outreach towards new regions and enhance the TrustChain concept footprint towards exploitation;
Ensure that potential market barriers are removed through validated demonstrations;

In the 9 months long implementation timeframe for each Open Call, the innovators will receive funding and support in terms of mentoring and coaching as well as adequate implementation of the human-centric approach. More specifically, the first two months will be dedicated to the users requirements with the involvement of end users and innovators whereas the last 2 months will be dedicated to testing and validation by early adopters. All the innovators will spread the word on the latest TrustChain advances in top events as well as become part of a wider ecosystem of experts, investors and innovators alike.

TrustChain Consortium

The consortium is formed by eight organisations from 7 different European countries
(Luxembourg, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Greece, Spain, Belgium and United Kingdom),
strategically selected due to their expertise.

European Dynamics is a leading European software vendor and information & ICT services provider, operating internationally. European Dynamics designs, develops, supports and promotes software ICT applications using open architectures and integrated, state-of-art technology to governments, public organizations and private enterprises in more than 45 countries.

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F6S is the leading SME network and platform for application management for commercial, corporate, government, university and other accelerator programs, helping thousands of such initiatives worldwide. Every year F6S processes more than 100,000 applications and has delivered billions of Euros to startups and SMEs. F6S is experienced in creating effective recruitment campaigns, targeting the right SMEs/Startups, disseminating open calls far and wide and managing the selection process of the applicants. F6S tracks emerging trends across industries and has insights that reach beyond any database, from its strong network of project partners, corporates, universities & startups. F6S' innovative communication team leverages these assets and a strong experience in community building to deliver a high-impact strategy to promote, communicate, and disseminate research activities and achievements, maximising sustainability of projects’ results.

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The Faculty of Computer and Information Science of Ljubljana focuses on scientific research in the field of computer and information sciences with a special interest on web ontologies and semantics, data acquisition, semantic grid/cloud/fog technologies, trust and blockchain, IoT, big data, real-time data management, large networks analysis, data streams, information extraction, etc.

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Athens University of Economics and Business has a multidisciplinary scientific expertise and specializes in the combination between technology and economics. It investigates, develops, and evaluates economic models and business plans, economic and other incentive-based mechanisms for trust management, allocation, network management and trading, cloud, CDN and IoT services, sharing/on-demand economies resources and cryptocurrencies.

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CIB is a non-profit organisation that works on identification and research of society needs on ICT knowledge capacity building, primarily vulnerable groups within the local communities. They train and educate in Digital Competences for a more participatory and inclusive society. To do so, the main means the Foundation has are volunteers - more than 1.800 cybervolunteers - working hand by hand with about 1.200 grassroots organisations across Spain, also with Municipalities, Academia, Grassroots organizations, NGOs, Public institutions and Private Sector at a national scope. They promote the central role of citizens through their active participation in Digital Transition processes, as to achieve inclusive Digital Transformation as a durable, sustainable change.

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ALA is a non-profit association dedicated to the creation and promotion of blockchain networks as a Common Good, following the Public-Permissioned model, which can be used in the real economy, far from speculation and that are open, inclusive, fair and at the same time efficient, green and compliant with all the applicable regulations, especially when it has to do with citizens personal data (GDPR), ans supporting real-world identities via a privacy-preserving Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) system, always aligned with the European strategy of EBSI and European Identity Digital Wallet (EUID).

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Timelex is a boutique law firm, specialised in information and technology law in the broadest sense, including privacy protection, data and information management, e-business, intellectual property and telecommunications. Its activities cover all legal issues encountered in the creation, management and exploitation of information and technology, in all of its diverse forms. Timelex team is specifically known for its European policy studies in a variety of subjects, including data protection, electronic signatures, electronic identity management, e-business and e-government, in which they can rely on an extensive network of IT law experts covering all European countries.

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ICS is a leading higher education institution in London with over 18,000 students. The School of Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science has expertise in the area of cyber security, data science, AI and autonomous systems. Domain expertise in blockchain, identity management, privacy preserving technologies, cryptography and digital finance.

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National and Kapodistrian University of Athens specializes in a wide-spectrum of topics in distributed (information) systems, including cloud management, blockchain, trust, privacy, IoT data management, with the use of economics, incentive mechanisms, mechanism design, stochastic processes and AI. It also deals with the business aspects in complex decentralized systems, potentially involving crypto assets, towards win-win outcomes.

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TrustChain core team

Dr. Caroline Barelle,
R&D Project Manager at European Dynamics

Dr. Barelle, with a background in biomedical engineering and ICT, acts as a bridge between technology and societal impact. Her research focuses on user-centric tools for decision-makers across sectors. In her role as R&D Project Manager at European Dynamics, she leads major European projects, prioritizing human-centered digital technologies to address real-world challenges and promote inclusivity in the future.

Spyridon Kountouris, Blockchain Engineer at ED

Spyridon is a blockchain engineer with a background in digital asset trading. His early involvement in areas such as blockchain, Web3 and DeFi demonstrates his forward-thinking approach and adaptability in the ever-evolving blockchain landscape.

Dr. Vlado Stankovski

Dr. Vlado Stankovski is a professor of computer and information science at the Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He focuses on novel software engineering technology, semantics, distributed, edge, fog, and cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital twins and blockchain technologies, and their integration. Flagship projects include DataMiningGrid, InteliGrid, mOSAIC, SWITCH, ENTICE, DECENTER. Vlado Stankovski is a scientific and technical coordinator of the Horizon 2020 Next Generation Internet ONTOCHAIN (https://ontochain.ngi.eu/) and TRUSTCHAIN (https://trustchain.ngi.eu/) projects. Currently, he also participates in the ExtremeXP, ACES, BUILDCHAIN, EBSI-VECTOR and Swarmchestrate Horizon Europe projects.

Dr. Petar Kochovski, Assistant Professor at University of Ljubljana

Dr. Kochovski has a background in software engineering and computer science. His research interest includes Blockchain & Web3, Trustworthy Data Management and Digital Identities, Digital Transformation, Edge-to-Cloud Computing, and Dependability in Smart Environments. He participates in the TRUSTCHAIN activities related to the technical coordination and standardization in the project.

Tajana Medaković, MA

Tajana Medaković is the Project and Communication Manager for Horizon Europe projects specifically focusing on the communication, dissemination and growth hacking. In addition, Tajana is experienced in Open Call and cascade funding projects, startup mentoring and business development. With her background in law, EU studies as well as media and communications, her area of expertise are topics in ICT, agriculture, academia and environment. In Trust Chain, Tajana leads communication and dissemination activities.

Daniel Silva, MSc

Daniel Silva, MSc in Management of Science, Technology and Innovation, is a project manager with several years of experience in the European Research and Innovation programmes. Currently, he is working on the design, implementation, promotion and management of cascade fundings (open calls), helping the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem to find the right funding opportunities to scale their businesses. In TrustChain, Daniel is in charge of the Open Call management through the F6S platform and community engagement.

Professor Vasilios A. Siris

Vasilios A. Siris is a Professor at the Department of Informatics, Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB). His research interests include blockchain, Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs), digital identity, decentralized identifiers, trust, privacy, and mobile and wireless networks.

George D. Stamoulis, Professor of AUEB and Head of Services, Technologies, and Economics (STEcon) group

George D. Stamoulis is a Professor in the Department of Informatics, of Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), and Head of the Services, Technologies and Economics (STEcon – http://stecon.cs.aueb.gr/) research group. He received the Diploma in Electrical Engineering (1987, with highest honors) from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, and the MS (1988) and PhD (1991) degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. His research interests are in economic and business models for networks, clouds, blockchain ecosystems, and smart energy grids, demand response and flexibility management in smart energy grids, auction mechanisms for scarce goods, and reputation mechanisms for electronic environments.

Andrés del Álamo Cienfuegos UX Researcher and Digital Anthropologist

I am a social scientist specialized in the relation of humans and technology with a special commitment for innovative methodological approaches and User Centric Approaches in the creation of digital products. I take part in UX related activities in different Horizion Europe countries as part of the team of Fundación Cibervoluntarios, always seeking digital solutions that create social impact.

Alexander Herranz, Head of Technology

Alexander Herranz is the Head of Technology at Alastria Blockchain Ecosystem, and is in the top 2% Ethereum developers StackExchange ranking.

He leads the Web3/Blockchain area in different projects, some of them related to the European Commission. He has been involved in multiple Web3 projects based on Tokenization, Smart Contracts, Crypto, DeFi & NFT. He also teaches Blockchain technology at University.

Pablo Vela, Project Manager and Blockchain Engineer

Passionate about technology, always ready to explore the latest innovations and face new challenges. Firmly believes that Blockchain is not just a technology, it’s a step towards greater freedom.

Ruben Roex

Dr. Muttukrishnan Rajarajan

Rajarajan is a Professor and Director of the Institute of Cyber Security at City, University of London. He has been carrying out research in the areas of Internet of Things security, data privacy, identity, digital wallets and decentralised technologies. He has published more than 350 papers in journals and conferences and hold 3 international patents in the area of cloud security. He advises many SMEs in the area of cyber security.

Akanksha Dixit

Michał Król

Michał is an a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at City, University of London working on networks, Internet measurements, blockchains, and the efficiency of distributed systems.

Dr. Thanasis Papaioannou

Dr. Thanasis Papaioannou is an Assistant Professor in cloud computing at the Department of Digital Industry Technologies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). His research interests revolve around cloud resource management, trust and blockchain, incentive mechanisms, economic analysis of technological solutions, as well as smart grid, in a large number of EU projects for the last 20+ years, including TRUSTCHAIN, ONTOCHAIN, iFLEX, WISEGRID, OPTI, CHARGED, WATTALYST, CLOUDSPACES, GRIDECON, INTERNODE, VESPER and more. He has been the IPR manager, business expert and chief architecture designer of the NGI ONTOCHAIN project (2020-2023) towards a blockchain ecosystem for trustworthy services exchange and trustworthy data handling. While he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Distributed Information Systems Lab (LSIR), EPFL 2008-2013, he won in the first round of the Swiss Venture Kick competition for startups in 2012 and of Swiss MICS kick start competition for new business ideas in 2010. He has published more than 80 papers that received more than 2000 citations.

TrustChain Advisory board

TrustChain Advisory Board is a group of internationally reputed experts that will advise on project development needs and help increase the awareness of the TrustChain project by establishing specific channels with specific communities.

They cover fields of expertise relevant to TrustChain project and Open Calls: DLT & blockchain related expertise, Self-sovereign ID, Peer-to-Peer, decentralised and Cloud, Fog, and Edge computing systems, business models, NGI business models, Security for decentralised network, and Human Centred Approach for innovative technology design.